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Okay, You Discovered Your Writing Superpower-What’s Your Kryptonite?

In an earlier post (Every Writer Has a Superpower!), there’s a quiz you could take to find what your storytelling superpower is. However, there is a dark side to this. Each writer has something, a weakness, that tends to drain his or her superpower or make it useless (if we let it).

Not a very pleasant thought, huh?

What’s the key to overcoming this?

Acknowledging that yes, there is something that’s holding you back from achieving that next level as a writer.

Now, you must take action.

Find out what this Kryptonite is, and then work through it. Instead of just accepting it, find ways to improve this area of weakness in your writing.

“Our strength grows out of our weakness.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adversity tends to make a person stronger- if faced head-on.

A lot of times, one’s Kryptonite is related closely to one’s superpower.

For instance, my storytelling superpower is Survivor:

“You’ve got a penchant for characters who will do whatever it takes to survive….regardless of their situation, you’re drawn to creating characters your readers will admire for their pluck, determination, and sheer creative willpower.”

This is spot on for me. My characters will do whatever necessary to survive; however, in doing so, they tend to be so focused on survival, they forget the human-side of things like feeling emotions. They’re so busy reacting, moving from one crisis to the next like some kind of a robot, they don’t try to stop for a split moment to deal with the emotional trauma they’re experiencing.

I’m great at creating suspense in my stories; but they lack the human-element: emotions. The one thing that grabs a reader, and hook him or her throughout the entire story. The one thing that breathes life into characters. The one and same that gives any given story that special uniqueness. Otherwise, it falls short of greatness, always missing its true potential.

The same is true in my own life. I’ve gone through several periods where I endured losses and painful changes that in order to get through them, I’d completely shut off my emotions.

My main focus was to survive. Adding my feelings to the mix was too much for me to deal with. I figured that I’d deal with them later.

Only I never did.

Now, I’m faced with worsening anxiety issues and becoming more of a recluse.

My family is starting to suffer because of this Kryptonite. And so is my writing.

I’m just now acknowledging that this is my Kryptonite.

Next, I must take action. To find ways of injecting emotions back in to my characters, my stories.

But first-I need to allow those emotions to flow through me. To re-open the door of my heart, and allow it to breathe.

I need to live again.

Only then will my stories come to life.

What about you? Have you identified your Kryptonite yet? What kinds of action will you take to address it?

*Do you have that desire to get to the next level as a writer? Here’s a book that may help you!